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Make your shipping box

This is probably a Canadian tip as the U.S. mail rate are low enough that I wouldn't care how big the box I was mailing was. You guys can airmail me an Altoids box from the U.S. for less than $2 and for me it is $6.85 from Canada to most U.S. states. I can sometimes get around this by building my own shipping boxes for flies that are too large to fit in a cd case but small enough not to need an Altoids type box. I cut two squares of cardboard out, to represent the size of box I'll need to hold the flies. I then cut a bunch of 1/4" strips the same length as the sides of the squares. Then hot glue a border of strips around the edges, you may have to trim one or two. Then another layer, try overlapping the corners for strength. If you build this up by 2 to 3 layers and mail it in the right thickness envelope, you can cut your costs by $3 or more. The top of the box is held on by elastic bands. I know for one swap it may not be worth it, but if you do alot of swapping (as I did) it can cut your costs quite a bit. My tip of the month, yours free.

I've done similar containers. I got a local framing shop to save me a few day's worth of scrap from cutting frame mats for photos and the like ( Freebie). These are thinner and stronger than cardboard, and one layer top and bottom is sufficient to make a strong container. I cut them to sthe shapes I need with a circular cutter or razor knife.

Quite often I will be sending only a single fly, usually a Classic Salmon Pattern.

I make a perimeter frame cut out of Foam core board, usually 3/4 wide at the perimeter. I glue a back mat to the foam core, then attach the front cover mat with a piece of masking tape, making a hinged cover.

Inside I cut a square of foam core and glue it to the back cover. Stick the fly in into the foam core, close the cover, secure it with another small piece of masking tape and stick it in a padded mailer, ready to ship!

This works well with wet salmon flies. For dry flies, etc. simply make the depth between front and back covers deeper with layers of foam core frame stacked and glued. You can make shipping boxes for multiple flies by choosing the size of the box appropriately, and you can arrange the box to have 2 layers ( 3 pieces of mat; top, bottom and middle) The flies would be stuck in pieces of foam core gued on both sides of the middle mat, and have hinged doors top and bottom, secured with masking tape or elastic bands.

Generally, framing shops throw out mat pieces they consider too small to be reusable. I've got pieces 2-1/2 x 3-1/2 alll the way to 7 x 10, as well as circles, ovals, etc in lots of sizes, colours and finishes.

As well as making shipping boxes, the mats are great for mixing up small batches of epoxy for fly tying or rod building and repair.

I can defineately sympathize with you on the shipping costs. i found that the thickness part is about the thikness of a Tic. Tac Container. The small flat pillboxes at the drugstore can work possibly a DVD cover as well.

i use wooden cigar boxes to ship flies. i'll hot glue a 3/4 inch piece of styrofoam on the bottom. often times cutting groves in the foam so the body of the fly won't touch anything . i then use straight pins to pin the fly down. sometimes 50 or more pins holding a fly. i've dropped these boxes accidently and not a feather moves out of place. i use boxes with latches and still put a strip of packing tape to make sure the box won't open during shipping. i'll pack these wooden boxes in a bigger cardboard box lined with foam or bubble wrap.

Bud

Carp, the next white meat

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